


VR Gaming

by Zultae



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Fantasy, Video & Computer Games, Virtual Reality
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-09
Updated: 2019-03-04
Packaged: 2019-10-07 01:38:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 16,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17356520
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zultae/pseuds/Zultae
Summary: It’s a normal day in Paris when a villain shows up. Turns out the villain is a gaming fanatic and is sending the citizens to play a virtual reality game. Ladybug and Chat Noir show up to stop the villain, but get sent to the virtual reality game themselves! Will they be able to win the game and return home? How will they hide their identity when the host decides that miraculous don’t exist in this virtual reality? Luckily, they’re not alone. Another Ladybug and Chat Noir show up to help them out!





	1. Welcome to Virtual Reality

**Author's Note:**

> My second ever fanfic. Hope you enjoy it!  
> 

It was a Saturday afternoon when Marinette turned the news on her phone. “A new villain has shown itself in Paris this afternoon. As you can see it seems to have some sort of power that leaves people unconscious…” the news reporter said as a man got hit with a game controller in the arm. Not long after, however, he got back on his feet. “for a few moments at least.” The news reporter added. “Here she comes now!” The villain skipped over excitedly. She looked like she was around 10 years old with raven black hair that went down half the length of her neck. She had pale white skin and large violet eyes. Her villain costume was a plain black mask and a tight black costume with game controller cords as a belt and a handheld game console strapped to her right arm. Swinging a controller in her right hand she looked towards the camera. “I am VR Gaming! And I challenge all the people in Paris to a competition! Especially Ladybug and Chat Noir!” She winked at the camera and ran off to find more victims.

Marinette quickly transformed and rushed to the scene, seemingly making it there at the same time as Chat Noir.

“it’s nice to see you M’lady.” Chat Noir said, prompting ladybug to roll her eyes. They both looked around for a moment until they felt a tug on their ankles, but when they looked down it was too late. VR Gaming had already grabbed them by the ankles and was smiling wildly. Before they could escape, they were hit with game controllers.

Hawkmoth was excitedly telling VR Gaming. “Yess!!!!! Now take their Miraculous!” To which VR Gaming responded pouting. “But Hawkmoth, Miraculous’ don’t exist in my video games.” Hawkmoth realized that he’d been duped. Every time VR Gaming put someone into the gaming world, she passed out with them, and if there were no Miraculous in video games then there was no way she could possibly steal them. “GAAAAAHH!!” He shouted in a rage. “Make a video game with Miraculous! Or I’ll remove your powers!”

“Well alright.” VR Gaming responded “But you’re gonna have to wait, because I already started them in this other game. They have to complete it before I can send them to another one.”

Ladybug and Chat Noir appeared in a blank white space, but they weren’t alone. To their left and right were… Ladybug and Chat Noir?! There was two of them, though their costumes varied slightly. Before they could say anything, they heard a loud voice announcing: “All right contestants! The game is about to begin. Both Chat Noirs reached for their respective ladybug, but one Ladybug (Bridgette) grabbed Ladybug (Marinette) by the arm and tugged her away while sticking her tongue out and giving the Chat Noirs a peace sign. The blank white ground disappeared beneath them. They fell until they landed in some sort of large box. The ladybugs in one and the chats in the other, separated.

________________________________________________________________

The ladybugs turned to look at each other and realized that their transformations were dropped, and they weren’t wearing earrings either. “It’s a good thing I stole you from your chat. I’m Bridgette by the way, nice to meet you.” Bridgette extended her hand towards Marinette. Marinette was extremely confused at what just happened, but this girl seemed nice enough, plus she was ladybug too somehow. 

“I’m Marinette.” She responded shaking Bridgette’s hand. “But uh… where are we? Wait, the villain! Oh no! Did she take my miraculous?!”

It was then that they heard the loud voice again. “I didn’t.” it said, “I just want to play games, but first you have to create your character!” Lights lit up all over the room as they saw rows of clothing racks on each side of them with accessories towards the front a hair station and bathrooms in the back. There was a lot to choose from. “I won’t allow you to wear what you have on.” Continued the voice. “Video games are meant so you can be someone different. At least that’s what I think.” VR Gaming said sounding excited. 

Marinette and Bridgette looked at each other and then looked at the racks of clothes, shoes, makeup, and accessories. “It’s a good thing actually.” Marinette said “We wouldn’t want the chats to figure out who we really are. That is if we’ll see them in these games."  
“Definitely.” Bridgette said in agreement “Speaking of…” she took a green paw print hoodie off one of the racks showing it to Marinette. They both burst out laughing. As they looked through the clothes though, they realized it wasn’t quite what they were expecting. Despite how much they had to choose from most of it was extravagant dresses, flashy outfits, armor, even some space suits, cave woman outfits, and shirts that looked like they were made from candy. They found one pair of normal shorts and that was about it. There were two pairs of everything though so even if they both decided to wear the shorts it would be fine. It was probably because they were technically creating two characters.

“Hmmm” Marinette said deep in thought. “If I wear these tights under the shorts it would look alright. I don’t feel comfortable walking around in short shorts near chat.”

“You’re right, that’s a good idea.” Bridgette added “Hey! I have an idea. What if we wear the same outfit? That way they won’t know who is who and we can wear that black mask I saw in the front.” In the end they chose to both wear a black mask with the green paw print hoodie, black biker gloves, blue jean shorts with black tights and tennis shoes. They undid their hair from the usual pigtails and braided a small portion on the top left-hand side, tying it at the end with a bright green ribbon. They looked like twins except for the fact that Bridgette’s hair and eyes were slightly darker in color than Marinette’s. Marinette decided to wear contacts so that her eye color matched Bridgette’s. They left the hair as is, because it was hardly noticeable and there wasn’t a shade of dye to match anyway.

After leaving the dressing room there was one more small room to go through with nothing but two small desks in it, above them a giant sign that read: “Choose your name.” They both stood for awhile deep in thought until Bridgette came up with an idea. “How about we choose three letter names? I doubt they’ll be able to guess our names with just three letters.” Marinette responded, “It sounds risky, but I can’t think of a name otherwise.” So, in the end Bridgette decided to be Bri and Marinette decided to pick May.  
______________________________________________________________

Meanwhile Adrien and Félix stood awkwardly until Adrien shouted “Ladybug?!?! Where are you?!”

“What are you doing!” Félix snapped back offended.

“Looking for ladyb-“ Adrien stopped mid-sentence realizing that the other chat noir he saw no longer looked like chat noir, but was in his civilian clothes. Adrien then looked down to realize he was also in his civilian clothes and gulped. It was then that they heard a loud voice laughing. 

“Don’t worry, they didn’t hear you.” It said. 

“Where are we, and what did you do with my miraculous!” Adrien demanded while Félix stood looking completely annoyed.

“You still have it.” The voice said “It just doesn’t exist in the game world. I want to play games with you.”

“So, if we win, will you send us back to the real world?” Adrien added.

“Sure thing!” The voice responded as lights lit up all over the room. The room was filled with clothing and accessories as well as bathrooms and a hair station in the back.

“First you must create your character!” the voice said, but Félix was clearly confused so she continued “What I mean is you’ll have to pick a new look. I won’t allow you to look like you do now, Afterall, video games are meant so that you can be something you can’t be usually. There’s plenty of clothes and things for you guys to choose from.”

Félix stood there for a moment looking completely disgusted with the idea. Adrien turned to Félix and said “We better pick something, we don’t want to be stuck here. I’m Adrien by the way.” 

Knowing that Adrien was right, Félix walked grumpily towards the clothing racks. “Félix.” He said as he walked. Adrien was taken back by how unfriendly this chat was. He seemed to have a lot more energy in costume. Or at least that’s what Adrien thought for the few moments he had seen him like that. There was a kind of cold, awkward air between them. Adrien almost felt like he was back home, and it was unsettling. As he was looking through the racks of clothes, he noticed that despite there being a ton of options, most of them were strange. There were some flamboyant rainbow suits, Heavy armor, a loincloth? He wouldn’t be caught dead wearing that. So, he raised his voice and asked, “Did you find any normal clothes?” He turned to see Félix walk around the corner and turn to him completely unamused holding a black long-sleeved shirt. On the neck area was a large red scarf with black polka dots that was clearly not detachable. Adrien burst out laughing. At first, he had thought Félix had an unpleasant personality, but maybe he wasn't so bad after all. Despite his grumpiness he was kind of fun to be around. 

Félix was right, as they looked around that was clearly the only shirt that looked semi-normal. It was actually quite stylish too despite the clear ladybug reference. The jeans, however, had slightly more variety. Of course, there were the completely ridiculous pairs, but there were about five pairs that looked nice and/or were comfortable. They both ended up with the shirt, but Adrien wore blue jeans and red converse with a black mascaraed mask on his face. On the other hand, Félix chose black jeans and black boots, but the same mascaraed mask. They were almost ready to go when Félix noticed that Adrien’s hair was perfect, too perfect. Afraid that ladybug might like Adrien’s hair better he reached out and messed up his hair. Adrien was confused, and it wasn’t long before Félix realized what he was doing. He took his hand off Adrien’s head and not knowing what to say said “You’re welcome.” Adrien was confused, but when he looked it the mirror, he realized that his hair looked more like him as chat.  
They proceeded to the next room which a room with two small desks in it with a sign above that read: “Choose your name” Adrien immediately started writing so Félix asked him “What did you choose?” Adrien held up what he wrote and showed it off proudly “Neir, like partially my name backwards, plus it’s like Noir, cool right?” Félix responded unamused, “It sounds terrible, but the concept isn’t bad.” So Félix decided to do something similar and chose the name Xil.


	2. Let the Games Begin!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette, Bridgette, Adrien, and Félix are stuck inside of VR Gaming's virtual reality game. Here they start the first game where they need to defeat the demon king to save the magical kingdom. With the help of some magical powers they set off on their mission.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is where it starts to get a little confusing. When they start the game I use their in-game names rather than their actual names. I hope you all don't get confused. I'm sorry if you do.

They all ended up in the same area after character creation and stood there awkwardly. Adrien looked up at Félix who was clearly sporting the “I really want to go home” look and Adrien burst out laughing. To which Félix snapped back defensively “What are you laughing at! You’re wearing it too!” Which only made Adrien laugh harder. Not long after, Bridgette and Marinette started laughing as well.

“A few things before we start.” VR Gaming’s voice announced “One, time does not pass in the real world while we’re in this virtual reality. Two, only I can view the game meaning no audience and no hawkmoth. Lastly, if you get injured in the game you will feel pain, but the pain and injuries do not transfer over to the you in the real world. Get it? Got it? Good.” Before they could respond VR Gaming shouted excitedly “It’s time to start the first game!” The scenery around them changed into a rocky area with an ominous dark stone building ahead of them surrounded by rocks and ponds of lava. “The first game is to defeat the demon king! You are magicians in a world of mythical creatures. The demon king is readying his army to send them against your magical kingdom! You must defeat him before he can conquer the world, and I’ll even give you some hints. Each of you possess a different type of Magic. VR Gaming used a floating arrow to point over their heads as she explained “Xil! You have the power to summon the rain, though it only works outside of course. May has the power of luck. Bri possesses the power to make things cold. And lastly, Neir has the burst of speed, it doesn’t last long, and you also must wait awhile before you can use it again. Also keep in mind that the demon king is immune to all magic. Let the game begin!”

Bri was about to comment when she noticed Xil take something that resembled a cell phone out of his pocket. “Um, what are you doing?” Bri said with a confused look on her face.

“I’m calling the police, I don’t want to deal with this.” Xil said as if it was the obvious course of action.

“You’re a superhero, and you’re calling the police?” May said as she rolled her eyes.

“Usually I have super powers, not stupid powers.” Xil responded as his phone said “One moment please.” And waiting music started playing. “What the f-“ before he could finish his sentence a man flew down from the sky and landed in front of them.

“What is it that you need, sir?” It was a tall pale man with silky silver hair that stopped barely above his bright yellow eyes and went an inch past his ears on the sides. He wore a bright yellow sash on a dark blue uniform with black boots. He stood with his right hand over his chest awaiting an answer.

“I need you to defeat the demon king.” Xil said nonchalantly, and the man chuckled a bit.

“You always did love the make jokes.” The man said

“I’m not joki-“ before Xil could finish the man cut him off “Oh, but I did forget to give you these.” He forced a map and letter into Xil’s hand. “The map of the demon king’s house and the letter of peace you’re supposed to deliver.” The man took a quick glance at his glove and exclaimed “Oh no! I’m going to be late, good luck we’re counting on you!” and he was gone as quickly as he came.

“Come… back?” Xil said. The others were dumbfounded, staring into space where the man had just come from. Until Bri felt her hand being yanked and noticed Xil kneeling holding her left hand in his right and kissing it.

“I’ve brought you the most wonderful gifts my lady” as he held up the map and letter in his left hand. Bri quickly removed her hand from his grasp and snatched the letter and map from him. May looked over her shoulder as she opened the map. 

Neir pulled Xil to the side and whispered to him. “How do you know which one is which? They look like twins.”

Neir was right, though him and Neir wore the same shirt and mask it was easy to tell the difference between the two. The two ladybugs, on the other hand, looked almost identical with only a slight difference in hair color. And to top it off they chose to wear the same outfit with the same hairstyle. Xil didn’t really mind though, after all, there WERE two ladybugs. It was more like a bonus than anything. “What do you mean? My ladybug is obviously the most attractive one.” Xil responded, and Neir glared at him to which Xil said “Look, does it really matter? I’m sure they’re both equally as suited for me.” Neir was infuriated by this, but he thought to himself: Once I figure out which one is my lady, I won’t let this guy near her. Neir noticed the girls glaring at them and said “Uh… so what’s the plan?”

“Ugh” May said, hitting her forehead with the palm of her hand. Bri looked equally annoyed. “We were just discussing that while you guys were having your little chat.”

“If you use your rain summoning, we can get across without being noticed.” Bri added.

“So how does that work?” Xil questioned.

Bri explained: “The rain will hit the lava and create steam, then we can just walk up to the door in a straight line.”

Xil summoned the rain clouds over the lava and like the girls said. Steam came up from the lava filling the area with fog. 

“That was surprisingly easy.” He admitted as they walked forward towards the building. It wasn’t terribly foggy, but it was enough so that someone from farther away wouldn’t be able to notice them.

On their way May noticed Neir seemed to be in deep thought so she turned to him and asked, “You ok kitty?”

“Uh, yeah” Neir responded “It’s just a bit weird being Chat Noir without being Chat Noir.” He hoped that didn’t sound weird, but he was more surprised at the look Bri gave them when May called him kitty. It must have been strictly a thing between him and his lady.

“Yeah I get it, it’s weird being ladybug with no powers other than just luck.” May responded.

“Are you jealous, my lady?” Neir said back with a smug look on his face.

Looking offended May responded “No, you need it. I probably didn’t get one because I’m a professiona-“ her word cut off as she tripped on a rock. Luckily Neir caught her before she fell too far forward.

“Thanks.” May said reluctantly as they continued to walk towards the demon king’s home. 

“With pleasure.” Neir responded, grateful for his reflexes.

They make it to a giant 20foot tall double door with knockers on it and stand there in amazement for a moment until Bri says “Should we knock?”

Xil shoots her a look and says “We avoided being seen and now you want to knock?”

“I’d like to see you push this door open.” Bri shot back.

Meanwhile, Neir had already walked up to one of the knockers and started knocking on the door. Much to their surprise, the door opened on its own with no one in sight. Neir walked inside with May close behind him. Bri let out a “hmph!” before haughtily walking through the door herself. Xil growled as he followed behind her. As they walked in May noticed something move out of the corner of her eye. She squeaked and quickly grabbed hold of something in front of her. When she noticed it was Neir’s waist, she quickly let go, flung her hands up in the air, and backed up running into Bri.

“Ouch! What’s-“ This time they all saw it. Something was moving around in the darkness. May screamed and tightly wrapped her arms around Bri.

“May… I can’t… breathe…” Bri choked out trying to remove herself from May’s grasp until May flung herself off and stumbled backward, arms flailing, as she tried to grab onto something, anything. Luckily, her hand found something on the wall as it fell down a foot with whatever she had grabbed. Light immediately filled the room.

“Phew.” May said relieved, but still shaking from fear as she didn’t know what had been wandering the room before the lights had been switch on when a voice behind her said: “Is it gone?”

May screamed in terror grabbing whatever was closest to her and quickly turning her head to see what had said that.

“You’re such a jerk!” Bri yelled at Xil, but after May had moved, she noticed that he had been sitting behind May and had his arms around his knees, hugging them. “Uh… are you ok?” she asked him.

“Is it gone?” He asked again.

“Yes, it’s gone.” Bri responded, not bothering to look around and check for sure.

Meanwhile, May was holding onto Neir. Her head was on his chest while she turned it to face Xil. Neir’s face was as read as a tomato, though the mask hid part of it. May felt oddly comfortable in his arms until Bri turned to look at them. May didn’t know when Neir had wrapped his arms around her, but she knew by the face that Bri was making what it looked like. So she quickly broke free of his grasp and let out a “S-sorry.”

“You can hold onto me anytime, my lady.” Neir said as he wiggled his eyebrows.

May rolled her eyes and the door they came through slowly closed itself which made her flinch a little.

Xil slowly raised himself from the ground eyes wide. It was then that they all noticed how different this room was compared the the exterior. It was brightly lit, and the ceiling wasn’t even visible. Fluffy white clouds floated far above their heads. The room was larger than any room they had ever seen, though it didn’t contain much. There was a giant window above the front door that must have only been visible from the inside. Seeing as there was no lights hanging from the ceiling, the light must have been the window that lit up as the switch was flipped. The walls looked to be white marble. The floor was very hard and a dull dark brown. It wasn’t wood, but it didn’t look like it was metal or any recognizable material. There was one large door on each wall, four in total. Including the one they came in from. In the space on the walls where there were no doors the wall and floor were lined with cloth and filled with cotton almost like giant couches. 

“Quite the interesting entryway.” Bri commented.

“Are we even inside?” Neir said as he looked up at the clouds.

“We are.” Xil answered “I tried to summon the rain, but those clouds aren’t working for me.”

“Hmmm…” May said as she looked at the giant doors and couches. “It seems they expect guests much larger than us.”

“Well, what are we supposed to do now? We have a map, but even with these powers that we have I doubt any of us can open these doors.” Just as Bri said this, the door on the east side of the room slowly opened itself.


	3. Welcome to the Demon King's Home

“I guess we’re going to have to go that way then.” May said as the door was now fully open.

Once they entered, the door slowly closed itself. They thought the last room was plain, but this room literally had nothing in it except for the fact that the entire middle portion of the room was filled with water. It was basically a giant indoor pool with no space on the sides to walk. As Bri and May peered into the water. The bottom looked endless. If someone sank into it, they would most certainly drown and the only flooring was the portion they were already standing on, and a similar space on the opposite side of the room.

Meanwhile Xil looked over at Neir who was clearly gazing at May.

“You’re both already disgusting, why don’t you just get together already?” Xil mumbled, but Neir happened to overhear him.

Neir’s face saddened as he turned to Xil “She likes someone else.”

Xil looked annoyed and responded, “Oh great, you too.”

The top of the water in front of them froze as Bri said “That should do it! Now we can cross.” Bri had used her power to cool the water and turn the top to ice.

The four of them were slowly sliding across the ice when they heard a cracking noise.

“Did you hear that?” Neir said as he looked around to try and figure out where it might have come from.

“Under the ice!” May yelled. 

They all looked down to see a shadow rapidly approaching them. Without thinking, Neir used his burst of speed to grab the two girls and take them to the other side. Xil tried to make it himself, but he wasn’t fast enough. The giant creature broke through the ice and a sent a surge of water towards him. He fell backwards and slid across the ice the rest of the way.

“Why didn’t you help meeeeeeeeeoooooowwt.” He groaned through his scarf that was now plastered on top of his face.

“Sorry, I only have two arms.” Neir responded

The door behind them flung open quickly this time prompting May to jump and then sigh as she realized that it was just the door. Neir helped Xil off the floor and they proceeded through to the next area. The door shut quickly behind them when they made it through. The were now on a balcony, though the railing was much taller than the usual, It must have been 7feet tall. Thick dark brown bars formed a pattern that looked like a sea serpent dragon under the railing.

Neir started to fan himself with his scarf as it was quite warm, “It’s a little toasty out here isn’t it.”

Bri’s face lit up as she turned to Xil “Make it rain!” she insisted

“I didn’t know you liked to be wet.” He said in response. Bri slapped him in the face.

Xil eyes widened as he said, “It was just a joke.”

“Even I know you deserved that.” Neir said.

Xil glared at Neir and then looked back at Bri who was obviously still upset. “Forgive me?” he said as he summoned the rain clouds.

Bri ran towards the railing and turned the rain to snow with her power. “It works!” she exclaimed excitedly. “Come up May!” Bri grabbed May’s hang and climbed up onto the rail.

“I don’t think this is a good idea, what if we fall.” May said as she climbed up.

“Don’t worry, despite how incapable Xil is, Neir will definitely catch us if we fall. Right, KITTY?” Bri said, winking at Neir.

Xil was clearly offended and glared at Neir again, but Neir was too busy paying attention to the girls climbing up the rail.

“I’m purrfectly capable.” Neir said confidently, but flinched as soon as May almost slipped climbing up.

“That’s great and all, but why are we climbing up here in the first place.” May said as she reached the top.

“Look!” Bri exclaimed excitedly as she gestured off to the distance.

May’s eyes widened as she took in the scenery. As the snow fell on what looked like trees in the distance, they changed color from a dull brownish red to a bright green towards the trunk and a bright blue on the tips of the branches. A thick mist covered the ground and it looked as if the trees were floating on air. Light fluffy snow floated down from the sky and landed gently on the tree branches, melting as it touched them.

Neir was still worried, but he couldn’t help smiling to himself when he saw the excitement in their faces as they pointed off into the distance. Somehow, next to him, Xil had fallen asleep with his back against the wall and his legs stretched out in front of him.

After awhile, the railing was getting slippery as the snow that landed there turned to water. May lost her balance and slipped backwards. Neir was quick to catch her, but in doing so he fell backwards landing on his butt.

“Are you alright?” he asked her while he tried to keep a smile on his face, though he was clearly in pain.

“I’m so sorry!” she said as she got up and grabbed his arm trying to help him up when she almost slipped again.

“Don’t worry, my lady, it doesn’t hurt much. Also, thank you, but I wouldn’t want you to slip again.” He said pulling himself off the ground.

Bri had already flawlessly descended from the railing and was nudging Xil in the shoulder. “You can stop the rain now” she told him.

“Anything for you, bugnugget.” He mumbled quietly while he was sleeping, and the dark clouds disappeared.

She shook his shoulder, but he still remained asleep, so she grabbed one of his arm and yanked on it. His eyes quickly shot open and he looked around rapidly as if he forgot where he was. When realization dawned on him, a sour look covered his face as he turned to Bri. “And here I thought this was all a dream.”

“Nope, it’s reality. Well, virtual reality anyway. Time to get up.” Bri said in response.

As Xil groaned and lifted himself from the ground a door up ahead opened, but this time a lizard walked out. He was standing up straight as if he was a human. He wore blue gym shorts with a white tank top. The lizard man was very muscular and perspiring as if he had just done an intense workout. Wiping his face with a towel, he turned and noticed the four in the distance. He walked over with a small wave as if to say “Hi”. As he got closer, they realized he was actually really tall, about 10feet tall probably.

“So what are yous guys doin' here?” He said in a raspy voice.

“We, uh…” Bri started

“Came to see the demon king!” May finished

“Oooooh, so you guys are Shrede’s friends.” He said and then apparently shocked at his own words he continued. “I mean the great demon king Shrede’s friends! Please don’t tell him I forgot to use his title.” He pleaded, glancing around to make sure no one else had overheard him.

“Don’t worry we won’t tell.” May said, playing the role. “Just be careful not to make the mistake again.”

He sighed in relief “I’m Sazzi, by the way. Nice meeting yous.”

“I’m May, and this is Bri, Neir, and Xil.” May said pointing at each of them as she said their name.

Sazzi nodded and wiggled his nostrils. “I don’t smell a key on yous. Did Arthur let yas in here?”

Bri looked confused and questioned “Arthur?”

“Arthur, the whale.” He said as he pointed a scaly finger at the door they had come through. “Since Shre- er, The great demon king Shrede is always busy. Arthur is always lettin’ yous guests in, so he can play with yas first. See, there’s a group in the city called the whales. Theys always gone during the day so theys pay the great demon king to keep Arthur in his house. I don’t know where theys get all that cash from, but they-“ 

“Hey Sazzi!” called a voice as another lizardman came out of the door. “Break time’s over!” When he noticed the four of them before Sazzi he called out again “Who are your buddies over there?”

“Theys here to see the great demon king Shrede!” Sazzi called back.

“Awesome! Bring them in, we could use some more workout buddies. I don’t think the rest of our buds are showin’ up.” The lizard man motioned them to come in.

“I hope yous don’t mind workin’ out for a little bit. I’ll make sure yas get to the great demon king Shrede afterward. Come with me.” Sazzi said and they followed him into the door.


	4. Ready to get those rock hard abs?

“You’re really good at this.” Bri whispered to May as they walked

Sazzi turned around asking, “Good at what?”

“uh… working out! May is good at that.” Bri giggled nervously, taking note that Sazzi had good hearing. They into a gigantic gym. It was so large that it was probably about four times the size of the entry way. Oversize exercise machines, bikes, medicine balls, and weights littered the room. Ropes and nets hung from the ceiling. In the center of the room stood three lizardmen wearing similar attire as Sazzi. In front of them was a taller creature that looked more like a bull. He had dark red skin and pale-yellow horns that came out of the top of his head forming a ‘u’ shape. He had human-like hands, but his feet were hooves. The bullman was a few feet taller than the lizardmen, and much wider. He was wearing black sweatpants with no shirt and black armbands. He was so muscular it looked like he could lift a bus with one hand. Sazzi brought the four up to the group and introduced them.

“So, you’re here to see my brother?” The bullman said in a deep voice. 

They all looked at him speechless. Neir figured that May was going to respond, but when he noticed her loss for words, he spoke up himself. “Yeah, we’re here to visit him.” Wait… brother? If this was the demon king’s brother, he couldn’t imagine what facing the demon king would be like.

“It’s about time.” The bullman said. “Shrede has been messing around in his room for the past few days, paperwork and stuff. He won’t even work out with me. Luckily for me, my friends here weren’t so busy today. Maybe you can talk some sense into Shrede. He needs some fresh air. But before you do, some of my friends couldn’t make it so you’re going to sub in for them. How about this, I’ll make you a deal. If you can beat me and my buddies in two workout exercises. I’ll let you go see my brother. But until you beat us at two of them, you’ll have to stay here with us. Deal?”

The four looked at each other. Xil looked extremely annoyed and was mouthing “Please no.” May looked as if she was thinking, but then shrugged with a concerned look on her face. Bri bit her bottom lip knowing there wasn’t much of a choice. Neir was worried, but hopeful. It couldn’t be that bad right?

“Alright, deal.” Neir said. 

The bullman and lizardmen cheered loudly.

“I’m Raiji by the way.” The bullman said and then pointed to one of the lizardmen. “This is Grey.” Then to another “Nora” and another “Feyle” “And you know Sazzi. I’ll introduce the others if they show up. So, what should we do first?” Raiji asked his lizard friends.

“The obstacle course!” Feyle responded excitedly. “I’ve been wantin’ to do that all day.”

Raiji nodded and pulled something that resembled a remote out of his pocket. He pushed a few buttons and the four corners of the room flipped under the floorboards. Nets slowly descended from the ceiling landing just above the floor. Above the nets, platforms had descended along with some rock climbing walls, a tightrope, climbing net, and platforms under a swinging pillow. Raiji and the lizardmen moved over a bit and gestured for them to move too. When they did another obstacle course descended in the center.

“We’ll go two on each course with me in the middle, sound good?” Raiji said and the lizardmen nodded. “May and Xil on southeast. Grey and Sazzi on southwest. Feyle and Nora on Northeast. Bri and Neir on northwest. The first person to reach the end is the winner. Everyone to your starting positions!” Feyle sprinted excitedly towards his platform, Nora running to keep up. Bri and Neir made it to their platform second, they stood there waiting for a moment when Bri turned to Neir.

“Thank you.” She said.

“What for?” Neir asked.

“I’m glad May has you. I mean, don’t get me wrong, Xil’s not a bad chat and he’s good at fighting villains. But there’s also this unpleasantness that comes with him. He lets his anger get the best of him. It’s like he enjoys being chat, but at the same time he wants it all the end. Like he has an ulterior motive or something. It’s hard to tell what he’s thinking sometimes. I can tell that May is a nice girl even though we haven’t known each other for long. So, I’m glad she has a nice chat like you. Protect her for me. Well, you do a pretty good job of that already. But I don’t mean just physically, protect her spirit too.” Bri insisted.

“With my life.” Neir reassured. “My name’s Adrien by the way, but don’t tell bugaboo. She likes to keep our identities a secret.”

“I’m Bridgette. You already know not to tell the alley cat.”

“Everyone ready?!” Raiji announced and the lizardmen cheered. “On the count of three. Three… Two… One… Start!!!”

Partway through the obstacle course, May’s foot slipped, kicking Xil in the leg. “Sorry!” she apologized, but Xil turned to her annoyed.

“How did you even become ladybug being the apprehensive klutz you are. Your little kitty cat has to come and save you from everything, including yourself. I wouldn’t be surprised if whatever guy you like is offended to even be around you. If you ever confessed to him, he’d probably laugh and make you realize how utterly useless you are.” Xil snapped.

“How dare you talk about the guy I like that way! I don’t care what sort of distasteful things you have to say about me! But if you say one more nasty thing about him, I’ll make sure you regret it for the rest of your life!” May shouted.

She didn’t realize how loud she’d been until she heard a “Hell yeah! You tell him girl!” from across the room. The lizardmen and Raiji had stopped and were intently tuning in to the drama to see what would happen next.

Xil’s jaw dropped when he realized he had an audience. He frantically searched for something to hide behind until he found himself on the other side of the rock climbing wall. Raiji and the lizardmen laughed hysterically. May’s face was beat red in embarrassment.

Meanwhile, Bri and Neir were going through the obstacle course unknowing to what was happening on the other side of the room. Bri had asked Neir earlier if he could use his burst of speed. But when he tried it didn’t work. He must not be able to use it yet. It would be difficult to beat the lizardmen without it. Or at least that’s what they thought until Bri reached the end and shouted. “Finish!”

Raiji and the lizardmen turned to her in surprise realizing that they had been too distracted to focus on the goal at hand. They burst out laughing and then cheered.

“The little lady is our winner!” Raiji announced. Everyone else quickly finished the obstacle course except for May and Xil who took a bit longer. When they were done, Raiji pushed some buttons on the remote sending the obstacle courses away.

“Alright, everyone to the center!” Raiji announced.

On the way there, Sazzi jogged towards May and Xil placing himself between them while they walked. “Yous doin’ ok?” he asked, looking at May first.

“Uh, yeah… thank you.” May responded. Sazzi gently patted her shoulder to comfort her.

Sazzi then glanced over at Xil who scowled at him.

“Yous should know that puttin’ down others is only gonna get yas anger from them and yousself. Yas still got time ta apologize before thins get worse.” Sazzi advised as he slapped Xil on the back. It hurt, but Xil knew that Sazzi could have slapped him much harder than that. 

When they made it to the center Bri and Neir looked concerned and confused.

“Did something happen?” Bri asked.

“You didn’t hear it?” Nora questioned.

“Xil was talkin’ smack, so May gave him a piece of her mind!” Feyle said excitedly before Grey nudged him in the shoulder and gestured at Xil and May with his head.

“Ahem!” Raiji cleared his throat. “Next we’ll split into teams and see who can do the most pushups in one minute! I’ll be a group on my own. Nora, Feyle, Grey, and Sazzi will be group two. And May, Bri, Neir, and Xil will be group three.”

“How are we going to win this?” Bri whispered to May who was in deep thought. Then she had an idea.

“It’s a little too warm in here Bri.” May winked as she gestured towards the lizardmen.  
“Ooooh, you’re right.” Bri agreed, nodding her head. Then they both turned to Neir. He nodded figuring they wanted him to use burst of speed if he had it. Bri took a glance and Xil who looked terrible and was making a face like he wanted to die.

“Alright get ready!” Raiji shouted and everyone got down on their hands and feet (or hooves). Raiji pushed a button on the remote before putting it back in his pocket. A counter appeared underneath them. “On three! Three… Two… One… Start!!!”

Bri, May, and Xil started doing pushups while Neir used his speed power to do them in rapid succession. Bri then cooled down the room making the lizardmen slow down. After only a few pushups, Xil lay face down on the floor refusing to get up.

“Xil stop lazing around!” Bri yelled at him angrily.

Xil responded, but refused to get up “Wake me up… when September ends…”

May let out a groan and rolled her eyes.

After a few moments of silence, Xil turned his head away from them and spoke toward the wall. “I’m sorry I said those things to you. I don’t have many friends, not that I try to get any. Most of the time I just read books. I hate doing events like this where I have to hang out with others, it tires me out. And that guy you like, I hope he accepts you for who you are and doesn’t break your heart like ladybug is breaking mine.”

“Hey!” Bri yelled and May giggled a little

“I’ll accept that apology.” May said “Even though you’re clearly not helping us win this.”

“Times up!” Raiji shouted and everyone got up and stood behind their number.  
\----------------------------------------  
51-Feyle  
44-Nora Total: 204  
55-Grey  
54-Sazzi  
\----------------------------------------  
30-Bri  
32-May Total: 365  
3-Xil  
300-Neir  
\----------------------------------------  
345-Raiji Total: 345  
\----------------------------------------  
“And the winners are! Neir, May, Bri, and Xil!” Raiji announced clapping, the lizardmen soon joined him.

Neir panted as he collapsed into May’s arms. “Good job.” May said as she patted his back.


	5. The Great Demon King Shrede

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Credit for Super Mario 64 goes to Nintendo, their games are awesome, but those people are scary when it comes to copyright.

“I didn’t think you would beat us so soon, but as promised, I’ll send you to meet my brother. Here’s the master key, after an hour it will disappear, so you don’t have to worry about returning it. His room is through that door across the hallway.” Raiji handed Bri a translucent rainbow key.

“I’m gonna miss yous, it was fun with yas around.” Sazzi told them with tears forming in his eyes.

Grey patted Sazzi’s back as if to reassure him that it would be ok.

“You’re always welcome here.” Raiji reinforced, nodding his head with his arms crossed.

“Thank you.” Bri said as she bowed, “but we should really be on our way now, thank you for everything!”

May, Neir, and Xil also thanked them and waved as they exited into the hallway.

“I think I’m actually going to miss them.” May admitted.

“Yeah that was strange, I feel like they’re my friends even though they’re just characters.” Bri said as she scanned the door in front of them. It read:

My dear little brother Raiji, 

I decided to take a break today, so if you need me, I’ll be on the roof. 

Signed, The Great Demon King Shrede

“You know…” Bri started “If it was me, I would have just put ‘On the roof’ or something.”

“You’re right, it’s oddly formal.” May added 

“Isn’t that beside the point?” Xil said “I’d like to get out of here as soon as possible, so let’s just go to the roof.”

As they walked down the hallway a picture on the far end opened, and an arrow flew out of it. May grabbed Neir’s shirt as he didn’t notice the arrow surging towards him and quickly pulled him out of the way. May was sandwiched between him and the wall as their lips touched. After the arrow had flew past, May pushed Neir back a bit. Both of their faces were beat red.

“Front row seats.” Bri said as she was standing directly behind May when it happened.

“It’s not what it looks like!” May said in a panic “I was saving him from the arrow!”

“Praise the arrow.” Xil said as he raised his fist to the sky.

“Not you too!” May yelled frantically

Neir was standing in front of May with a grin on his face and she quickly turned away. May stomped forward when Bri yanked on her hood, pulling her backwards as a giant bowling ball fell from the ceiling.

“Someone had a lot of fun designing this hallway.” Neir admitted.

“What should we do? It’s probably not safe to just walk forward.” May said looking at the massive bowling ball that almost crushed her.

“Just let the bowling ball do it for us.” Xil offered.

Neir, May, and Bri turned to him in surprise. “Wow you actually had an idea, and a good one at that.” Bri praised.

“Yeah whatever, just push it.” Xil responded.

They pushed the bowling ball and it slowly rolled down the hallway. As it moved, spikes came from the ceiling, then the right wall, floor, and left wall. Next a sword swung from the ceiling. After that, oil poured down atop the bowling ball and was set on fire, water followed. Lastly, the bowling ball rolled into the picture that had been shooting arrows the entire time and after a few moments, the floor opened underneath it. The bowling ball disappeared under the floor before the floor boards returned to their position.

“How are we supposed get past that without being impaled by spikes, or worse.” May complained.

“Do bowling balls normally have compartments in the back?” Neir inquired.

“Now’s not the time for-“ May started before asking. “What did you say?”

“You didn’t notice the indents on the back?” Xil questioned.

“I was watching the traps.” May defended

“Hmm…” Bri stood there for a moment in thought before offering her input. “What if we all climb inside the bowling ball? Then before the floor falls at the end we come out and go through the door.”

“But the bowling ball is already gone.” May said concerned.

“If it’s anything like real bowling, the ball should come back.” Xil responded as he sat down to wait. Not long after they heard a thud above them.  
May waved her hand in front of her, prompting the ball to fall again. Then opened the compartment in front of her. “So… any volunteers?” May asked.

They all stood there silently for a moment until Bri responded. “I’ll go with you I guess…”

“Oh in that case-“ Neir started ,but the girls turned to him and simultaneously said “No.”

May and Bri climbed in and shut the door to the compartment. Neir reluctantly pushed them on their way down the hallway. When it reached the end, the girls climbed out unharmed, but very dizzy. They barely made it through the door before the floor opened. After a few moments the bowling ball was ready again. Neir climbed inside and motioned for Xil to join him.

“If you think I’m getting in there with you, you’re mistaken.” Xil told Neir as he slammed the door shut and kicked it down the hallway. After Neir made it through the door Xil waited for another bowling ball and reluctantly climbed into it making his way down the hallway and out the door.  
Xil was still dizzy while the other three glanced around the room. According to the map they were now in the kitchen where there should be a staircase that leads to an upper level. The smell of food filled the room as did plain looking green creatures with bright orange eyes. They wore tall white chef hats with orange lining near the bottom. The creatures were clothed with white robes and orange scarfs. The cuffs of their sleeves and bottom of the robes had a brown decoration on it. Each had a dark blue apron strapped around their waist. The creatures moved very slowly, but the food they were cooking looked and smelled delicious. The stairs, however, were nowhere in sight and they feared that searching through the kitchen would disturb the chefs.

“I’ve got to use the restroom.” Xil said as he slowly pushed open a door next to him “Or not.” He continued, realizing that the door he just opened wasn’t to the restroom, but to the staircase that they were looking for.

“Oh, good.” Bri was relieved that they didn’t have to search the kitchen. The four of them started up the staircase and after 10minutes of walking realized they had past the same portrait a few times. “This isn’t like that staircase to bowser in super Mario 64 is it?” But as she said this they saw a light a few stairs up. As they stepped up the last few stairs, they reached what looked like the roof of the building.

“That was quick.” A voice behind them said prompting them to turn around. “Usually it takes visitors a few hours to reach the end of those stairs. The number of stairs is randomly generated the moment the door opens.” The owner of the voice was a pale human male sitting in a golden chair that resembled a throne. The cushions on the chair were red and looked extremely comfortable. He had golden hair and very light turquoise eyes. The man wore a dark red shirt with a tall white collar positioned an inch away from each side of his neck. The shirt was perfectly fitted to his body with pearl buttons down the center. Large white cuffs protruded over the long sleeves of his shirt. He wore silk white gloves and black dress pants with plain black dress shoes that rounded near the tips. If he stood up, he would probably be about six or seven feet tall. As he sat comfortably on the chair, he swished a wine glass in his right hand while he held a book in his left. The book wore a cover that was slightly oversized and read “World History”. Above the chair where he sat, there was a large red umbrella. “As you might have guessed,” he continued. “I am the great demon king Shrede.”

“Actually, I was expecting you to look a little more like your brother.” Neir blurted out.

“Oh, Raiji? He was adopted after he won a martial arts competition. He’s quite the character, after winning the tournament I was about to present him with a reward, but he declined. “All I wanted was to show my potential so that I can get adopted into a loving family.” He said, so I convinced my father to adopt him.” Shrede chuckled a bit at the memory before asking “So what business do you have with me?”

The group was now unsure of what “defeat the demon king” meant, when Bri remembered the letter she still had in her pocket. “To deliver this.” Bri said while handing the letter to the demon king. He set his book on his lap, taking the letter from Bri and opening it. He sipped his wine while he read it.

“Hmmm… A letter of peace, is it? Very well.” He said as he put the letter in his book as a bookmark setting it on the arm of his chair. “But on one condition.” He stood up, placing his wine glass securely on the other arm of his chair. “To show your trust I ask that one of you jump off of this roof.”

“What?!?!” Bri yelled “You want one of us to die? How is that fair.”

“I see that you haven’t heard of me.” Shrede explained “One of my many magics is that of levitation. Therefore, to display our trust in each other. I ask that one of you jump off the roof. I will catch you with my levitation before you hit the ground. I’d say it’s a pretty simple task.”

Bri was offended, but before she could argue any further May was already jumping off the roof. Neir quickly ran after her and jumped off of it himself grabbing onto her hand. Bri quickly ran to the edge of the roof and stopped, looking down from where her two companions just jumped. Xil yawned and sat down. Neir closed his eyes ready for impact, but after a few moments of not hitting the ground he slowly opened his eyes. He realized that they had stopped mid-air with plenty of space between them and the ground. May squeezed his hand and yelled “Look!” pointing in the distance. As Neir turned his head he saw a beautiful sparkling city. Buildings of all shapes and sizes nestled in between the tree line. It glowed a gentle gold with the sun setting behind it. As he turned back to May, she was still fixed on the city. A golden light brushed her features gently as she smiled excitedly at the view. It was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

After a few moments, they flew upwards and landed gently on the rooftop. Laughing hysterically, Shrede wiped the tears from his eyes. As he collected himself, he cleared his throat. “I see your goodwill is true. Very well then, I will make peace with your magical kingdom.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you didn't notice, the chefs in the kitchen are modeled after tonberry chefs from Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles. (credited to square enix.) Anyone else excited for Crystal Chronicles coming to the switch?
> 
> Speaking of credits, Miraculous ladybug is credited to Thomas Astruc and friends. Not sure if I need to add that considering I chose Miraculous Ladybug as the fandom already, but if I do there ya go.


	6. The Final Game M (part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Neir and Xil find themselves in a new area, but May and Bri are nowhere in sight. VR Gaming informs them that they have to play the last game without them. How will the guys fare without their partners?

The ground lit up underneath them and they closed their eyes as it brightened. When the light seemed to have dimmed down, Neir opened his eyes to see a bustling city as he stood on the sidewalk. Various shops lined the streets as the sound of conversation filled the air. He heard a deep sigh next to him and realized that it was Xil. He looked around for May and Bri, but they were nowhere to be seen.

A voice announced to them “This is the last game. I hope you’re prepared!”

“What did you do to Ladybug!” Neir yelled, and the voice responded, “They’re playing a different game with my alter ego.”

“Then why are we still here?” Xil insisted

A girl with short black hair and violet eyes walked up to them. She was dressed in a purple t-shirt with blue skinny jeans and purple converse. “Actually, I’ve never been able to beat this last game. I Usually send people back after playing the first one. But I have a feeling that with you two here I might be able to beat it.” As she said this, Neir and Xil realized that this girl was VR Gaming.

“and you didn’t bother to ask us first?” Xil demanded

VR Gaming smirked in response “Well I already started the game, and besides, what kind of villain actually asks people what they want?”

She had a point. Xil sighed as Neir asked her what the last game was about. “This is the City of Tira, around the same era that we currently live in. In this city we’ll find a girl.” VR Gaming said as she whipped out a picture of a girl with long red hair, freckles and light grey eyes. She wore a light blue summer dress. “This girl has fallen in love with a guy in her class.” She took out another picture, this one was of a guy with black hair and blue eyes, wearing a plain white shirt and blue jeans. “The problem is… This girl has confessed her love to her crush and been rejected. Now she is beginning to think of suicide. The point of the game is to stop her before she goes through with it.”

“So, we have to set her up with this guy, right?” Neir said as he examined the photos.

“I don’t think that’s going to work.” Xil responded, much to their surprise.

“Why not? Won’t she be happy again if she goes out with him?” Neir inquired.

“Well… this girl I know has been trying to get me to go on dates with her for the longest time, but I’m just not into her. If this guy already said no, then he’s clearly not interested. Giving her false hope isn’t going to help. Sometimes people just aren’t meant for each other.” Xil said in a serious tone.

Neir turned to VR Gaming and asked, “Do you know anything else about these two?”

“Ah well, their names are Melody Veena and Josh Reinhardt. They’re both apparently helpful and nice in school, but that’s basically the description. Our characters are in the same class as them though.” VR Gaming explained.

“Then I guess we’ll just have to learn more about them.” Neir admitted.

“Are you sure you’ve even played this game before?” Xil said as he cast VR Gaming a skeptical look “You seem to know virtually nothing about it.”

“I have played it… I just never really got anywhere… I’m not good at making friends in the first place so trying to get to know them was just awkward. To be honest, I was probably more concerned about how I appeared in front of them more than anything.” She let out a small fake laugh and grabbed the back of her neck with her hand.

Xil sighed “Well, I’ll hang out with reject boy for a day and you guys scope out depressed chick. I’m not good with women other than ladybug anyway. We can meet up afterwards and put our findings together.”

Neir nodded “Sounds like a good idea.” 

They found their way to the school and sat down in their respective seats. Neir’s was in the back next to VR Gaming’s seat, whereas Xil’s was more towards the front. They were early, so they’d have to wait a bit until the other students showed up. Unable to control his curiosity, Neir turned to VR Gaming and asked her. “So, how did you get akumatized anyway? You don’t seem to have any sort of attitude problem.”

VR Gaming turned away from him, facing the front of the classroom with a sad look on her face. “I have a friend online that I recently got into a fight with. She hasn’t even talked to me for a few days, so I got upset. That’s when I heard hawkmoth. He said that I could have all the people in the world to play games with, but my feelings are more complicated than that. The first game I made myself, it’s my favorite. But this game is a game that I bought yesterday, because it reminded me of my friend.”

“What did you fight about?” Neir asked her curiously.

VR Gaming turned to him for a second then back to the front of the room “My in-game name is Crimson Payne, and my character is a male. Basically, I’ve been playing video games with a guy’s persona. It was easy to make friends and hang out, since a lot of the games I play have a mostly male player base. They feel comfortable talking to other guys, I think. I made a lot of friends and had a bunch of cool items. After a while, I became good friends with this girl on one of the fantasy games I play. We would hang out with each other every day. A few days ago, though, she told me that she had feelings for me. But when I got the courage to tell her that I’m a girl in real life, she got upset and wouldn’t talk to me.” VR Gaming glanced over at Neir who was listening intently, before she continued nervously. “It’s not that I brought you here 'cause your and ladybugs situation was similar. I mean sure, you don’t really know who she is under the mask, but she’s not a guy! I mean -uh I was just thinking that maybe you guys might have different personalities outside of duty. Er, uh, not saying she wouldn’t like you cause I’m sure she would.”

Neir was looking at her now with eyes wide in disbelief. He knew that he wasn’t exactly chat noir in his normal life, well, maybe he was far from chat noir. And he did think about what ladybug might do when she’s not saving Paris, but what if ladybug had a different persona? What if her life was completely different? If she acted completely different? He couldn’t really imagine it, but now considered the possibility. He hadn’t been keen on playing this video game when they first began, but now he was curious about how it would end. If somehow, this story was like VR Gaming said, and the girl confessed to her love without knowing his other persona… He was eager to find out.

“Neir?” VR Gaming said in a worried tone.

Neir quickly replied “Sorry! I’m not offended or anything, I was just lost in thought.”

VR Gaming sighed in relief as the bell rang. The entire class had filled up while they were talking. Conveniently, Xil’s seat was right next to Josh’s, while Neir and VR Gaming’s seats were directly behind Melody’s. The lecture lasted about a minute, probably because the game would be boring if you had to listen to the teacher talk for too long. Afterward, when everyone was getting ready to leave, Neir looked over at VR Gaming who was sitting stiffly while staring at Melody, clearly trying to get her courage up but failing. “Hey Melody!” Neir said, hoping she would know him since they were classmates.

To his surprise, she turned around and said “Hey Neir, what’s up?”

“VR Gaming and I were going to hang out at uh… karaoke tonight and we were wondering if you wanted to come.” Adrien requested

“Sure, I’ll go sounds… fun” Melody responded with a fake smile on her face.

On their way out of the front gates, Neir turned to make sure that Xil was heading with Josh. Xil, who was standing next to Josh, noticed Neir looking his way and gave him a “This makes me want to vomit” kind of face. Neir barely kept his laughter in check while turning back to Melody and VR Gaming.

VR Gaming checked her phone to see where the closest karaoke place was as Melody watched intently. “That’s weird, it should be right…” VR Gaming said as they looked up to see the karaoke place right in front of their faces “here, oh! We’re here”. The three of them walked in and ordered pizza and drinks, then found a room. It was awkward for all of them, since there wasn’t much conversation and none of them sang particularly great. The pizza and drinks arrived after a few songs, so they took a break to eat.

Neir turned to Melody and asked her “You okay? You’re not like yourself today.” Hoping that was the right thing to say.

Melody looked at him, then at her drink as she held it in both hands. “Actually, I wanted to tell you guys that I’m giving up on Josh.”

Neir and VR Gaming looked equally surprised and VR Gaming asked her “Why? I thought you really liked him.”

Melody held her glass tighter and said, “I realized that no matter what I do he’ll never like me, so…”

Neir felt his spirit drop when she said this, but before he could think about it too much, VR Gaming stood up. She was crying now. Through her tears, she said to Melody “You’re just going to give up? What if he wants to be friends? What if he wants to get to know you better?”

Melody started crying too and yelled “I don’t know him! He’s nice to everyone, but that’s not who he is! The other day I heard him talking to his friends about the things they liked to do, and I didn’t know any of it! I don’t know him at all! Don’t you realize?! I told him I loved him when I never even bothered to get to know him as a person! I begged him to go out with me and was a jerk to all the other girls that liked him. Loving someone is supposed to mean you’d do anything to make them happy, and all I’ve done is make him miserable! I’m just a selfish jerk! I don’t deserve anything or anyone.”

Both girls were crying uncontrollably now, while Neir had no idea what he should do. VR Gaming spoke up again “He’ll forgive you *hic* if you apologize.”

Now they were hugging and crying at the same time, while Neir silently finished his pizza and drink.

After a while, they calmed down and decided to call it a night. Neir and VR Gaming walked Melody home and then went to the address listed as “home” on their phones. It was a large blue and black apartment building with glass doors. They walked inside and eventually found room 130, their room. When they entered, they found Xil seated at the table with his head and arms rested on it.


	7. The Final Game M (part 2)

“Are you alive?” VR Gaming asked as she poked Xil in the arm.

“It was torture.” Xil slowly raised his head and grabbed it with his hands. “He’s a complete otaku! We watched magical girl anime for two hours straight!”

“That’s not too bad, it could have been worse.” VR Gaming responded, receiving a glare from Xil.

“Two entire hours of watching five-year-old girls flying across the screen shouting kyaaa hiyaaa, magic pompoms go! How is that not torture?! Are you mentally insane?! And the villain was a turtle! A giant turtle!!!”

“Did it breathe fire?” Neir asked.

“NO! It danced! What kind of villain dances?! The cupcakes were upset, because some giant turtle is dancing through the street making fruit tarts dance with him?! You can’t make me go back there. I’m never going back!” Xil exclaimed.

“I’m starting to think that you’re the one that’s going insane.” VR Gaming stated.

“So… What’s our plan for tomorrow?” Neir stared worryingly at Xil as he banged his head repeatedly against the table.

“Should we observe them again?” VR Gaming questioned

“NO!!!” Xil shot upwards into a standing position. His nose was bleeding now from all the head bashing. “We force them together! I don’t care how we do it. Make them talk! Force them into an after-school activity. Send them to the movies, to the aquarium, to the zoo, ANYTHING!”

“I thought you were against forcing them together?” Neir questioned.

“I don’t care anymore! I need to be saved from this torture! If you guys don’t do it, I will! Good Night!” Xil stomped over to a bed in the corner and quickly wrapped himself in a blanket as he adopted the fetal position while covering his ears.

VR Gaming and Neir stared blankly at him for a few moments.

“Um… well…” VR Gaming started “I think they should talk too… just maybe not as fiercely?” she looked up at Neir with uncertainty.

“I agree” Neir admitted. “We should at least give Melody a chance to talk to him. Maybe we can have a group get together of some sort?”

“Yeah” VR Gaming searched her phone for possible nearby activities. “There is an aquarium quite close to the school. We could go there, that way Xil won’t have to worry about little magical girls flying around.”

“Sounds like a plan” Neir nodded and VR Gaming pressed a button under the table. Outside the window, the sun quickly went down and came up again. A loud alarm clock went off near Xil’s head. He quickly jumped up and flung it across the room.

“I didn’t even get to sleep!” Xil yelled angrily

“You don’t need to sleep, this is a videogame. Now clean up your nose so people don’t question what you’ve been doing.” VR Gaming demanded. Xil growled as he made his way to the bathroom. When he returned, they headed for school. This time they didn’t get to school early, but instead made it there just in time. 

When the short lecture was over, Josh got up out of his seat and looked at Xil ready to speak, but Xil spoke before he could. “Today we’re going to the aquarium.” Xil insisted.

Josh looked at him confused. “Oooookay? So why are we going to the aquarium?”

Neir, VR Gaming, and Melody walked towards the front of the classroom where Josh and Xil stood. “You guys are going too? How about we all go together!” Neir said enthusiastically.

Josh shook his head ready to speak again, but again Xil cut him off “Yes, lets go! RIGHT NOW!”

The group awkwardly walked to the aquarium, it was a giant rectangular building with a dolphin statue in front of it. As they paid and walked through the large glass doors, Neir noticed a poster on the wall that read “Magical Pom Pom’s day” with a picture of a small girl with pink pom poms and a cupcake hat flying over a dolphin. This must have been the anime that Xil had talked about. As Xil looked around Neir quickly stood in front of the poster to hide it from his view. VR Gaming gave him a skeptical look until she noticed some of the pamphlets on the table with the same picture on it.

“Let’s get moving! I want to see the fishes!” VR Gaming exclaimed nervously as she pushed on Melody and Josh’s backs prompting them to move forward. Neir sighed in relief as the group moved forward to some giant fish tanks. There were sharks, and fish of all different shapes and colors. Now that they had something to look at, it was less awkward. Josh was pointing out fish to Xil who seemed semi-interested, or maybe he was just glad they weren’t watching magical girl anime. Melody and VR Gaming were eyes wide in wonder as they excitedly watched the fish. Neir was the odd man out, but he was more worried that Josh and Melody didn’t get the chance to talk. After a bit of wondering and looking at fish they heard loud screams of joy coming from down the hallway and decided to check it out. When they reached the end of the hallway they ended up in the outside part of the aquarium where a dolphin show was going on. The dolphins jumped through hoops and danced.

“It’s time for the special event!” a dolphin trainer yelled as she moved her arm to introduce a small girl with a cupcake hat and pompoms and handed her the mic.

“Are you ready?!” the girl yelled as she lifted a pompom above her head. The small children in the audience squealed.

“ITS MAGICAL POM POMS!!!!!!” Melody yelled excitedly before the audience around them giggled. She then remembered that Josh was standing close by and put her hands over her mouth in embarrassment. She turned to find him staring at her dumbfounded, but what he said next was something she had never expected.

“You like Magical Pom Pom’s too?! Isn’t she amazing! She’s adorable and she always saves the day. She’s a great cook too! I learned how to make bunny cupcakes and-“Realizing what he just said, Josh’s face turned the same shade of red as Melody’s.

“sorry” Josh said looking defeated. “You probably don’t think it’s very cool of me liking a magical girl’s show.”

“No!” Melody said nervously “I mean, what I meant to say is I’m glad that we have some of the same interests. Actually, I came today because I wanted to apologize to you. I’ve always liked you, but I never bothered to get to know you and I felt bad about it. And I was wondering if we could be friends since you don’t like me, but that’s okay! And um…” she looked up at him waiting for an answer.

“I need to apologize too.” He started. “Actually, I uh… I do like you, but I was worried you’d think I was a total loser for watching magical pom poms. So, I lied and said that I didn’t. So, if it’s okay with you…” he grabbed her hands and smiled nervously “Would you… go out with me?”

“Yes!” She yelled happily jumping into his arms, but the moment was short lived as they heard a loud banging noise behind them.

“Xil what are you doing!” Neir yelled concerned as Xil was banging his fist against a shark tank.

“I’m setting him free so he can end my suffering!” Xil yelled as security guards showed up to pry him off the glass. “Take me away! Far away!” Xil screamed at the confused security guards as they carried him away.

“Wait!” Neir yelled as he went after Xil and VR Gaming followed.

The security guards took him into a room at the end of another hallway and as Neir and VR Gaming entered they saw a large sign in the room that read “Congratulations, you won!”


	8. The Final Game F (part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the demon king was defeated, May and Bri were sent to a new area to play their last game. They quickly realized that Neir and Xil were no longer with them. How will they beat this last game, and who is the strange man who claims to be the host?

When May and Bri opened their eyes, they saw an alter and two large boxes in front of them. In between those boxes stood a man with red hair that transitioned to black at the tips. His eyes were a light golden color while his skin was slightly tanned. He stood around 6 feet tall and wore a long red trench coat with black cuffs on the ends of its short sleeves. On his hands were black gloves with a bright orange and yellow ‘v’ pattern on the back of his hand. His gloves stopped an inch before his elbow with a black belt and buckle at the end. His shirt, underneath the trench coat, was a low-cut white shirt with a flame pattern near the bottom. He wore jeans that were slightly loose and black in color. On his feet were dark red boots with black cuffs that ended an inch before his knee. “I am Crimson Payne, and I will be your host for this last game.” He stated.

“Where are Neir and Xil?” May questioned while she looked around the area. Her and Bri stood on a large cement slab with a dark blue stain glass box to their left and right a few feet in front of them. The boxes were seven feet wide on both sides and around four feet tall. In between the two boxes was a plain cement alter with a few cracks in it to display its old age. Behind the boxes in the two back corners of the cement slab were two trees that stood around ten feet tall with light brown curly branches and large dark green leaves with deep blue colored flowers in full bloom. Between and behind the trees were small bushes coated in white leaves with blue veins in the middle of each leaf. Behind May and Bri, was a brick pathway that lead down a hill into a collection of old-style brick buildings of various shapes and colors. The sky was a light gray as clouds passed through it, occasionally allowing the sun to peek through, casting a light through the blue stain glass and illuminating the scenery around them.

Crimson Payne leaned backwards onto the cement alter, lifting himself onto it with his arms causing his muscles to extrude from his arms slightly, until he was sitting cross legged atop the alter. “Neir and Xil are playing a different game elsewhere. If both sides win their respective games, you should meet up after we finish.”

“What if we finish at different times?” May asked.

“That’s not a problem.” Crimson Payne responded. “We control the time and space here, so even if you finish at different times, it will be as if you finished at the same time. Just as how your real selves time has stopped, we can easily stop time for you in this virtual reality. If you have no more questions, shall I explain the game?”

The girls looked at each other and Bri shrugged.

“Go ahead.” May answered.

“A giant meteor is approaching this world and the only way to stop it from obliterating life as we know it is to create a magic barrier. In order to make this barrier, two citizens volunteered themselves to provide the magic power necessary for creating the barrier. These two were put into a deep sleep to more easily obtain their magical power. While they are asleep, they need to have dreams that evoke strong emotions in order to create this power. Your job is to put items in the box that will transfer into their dream worlds to evoke these emotions. When the game starts, there will be a time limit of one hour before the meteor crashes into the planet.”

“How are we supposed to know what will evoke strong emotions if we don’t even know the people?” Bri inquired.

“I’ve chosen for each of you, the person in your life that you value the most. So, in theory, it shouldn’t be that difficult of a task.” Crimson Payne glanced into the boxes from the altar on which he sat with a smirk creeping up his face, but quickly hid it as he turned back to the girls. “Why don’t you take a look for yourselves before I continue my explanation. Also, you can call me Crim for short, unless you prefer my full name.”

The girls skeptically approached the large boxes and looked down into them.

“Félix!” Bri exclaimed as May yelled “Adrien!” almost simultaneously.

“Wait… Adrien?!” Bri ran over to May and glanced inside the box. She could see the obvious resemblance between him and chat noir. Bri squealed and wrapped May in a tight hug. “You’re in love with Adrien?!?! I ship it! I definitely ship it!!!”

“You’re squishing me.” May protested and Bri loosened her grip a little.

“Ahem!” Crim cleared his throat, ready to explain the rest of the game. “Down the stone pathway there are buildings with various items inside, like shops, except you don’t have to pay for the items. I placed two shopping carts at the beginning of the pathway for the two of you to collect items in. that way, it will be easier for you to bring them back here. Pick up as many items as you like and place them in the box in the order you want them to appear in the dream. You won’t be able to see inside the dream, but I put emotion meters in front of the boxes so that you can see how much magic energy your items create when you add them to the box.”

“This will be easy!” May exclaimed proudly.

Bri, however, was conflicted. Despite knowing his general personality, she didn’t know much about the things Félix might like or dislike, other than the fact that he was always visiting the library. What concerned her the most though, was May. Despite May’s clear display of confidence, Bri couldn’t imagine her knowing much about Adrien’s likes or dislikes considering he was chat noir. Unless there were two different Adriens, which was clearly not the case based on what she’d seen in the box. There was no way that she could give away his identity, and dropping hints would just leave May confused. They were in trouble. Bri wasn’t about to crush May’s spirits though, so she confidently smiled at May and responded: “Yeah! We got this!”

Crim laughed “And since I’m bored, I’ll help you out!”

“Excuse me?” Bri questioned. “The world is close to coming to an end, and you’re bored? Shouldn’t you be freaking out or something?”

“Why?” Crim responded. “With my help, you have no chance of losing. With two beautiful young ladies by my side, we’re an unstoppable combination. Once we save the world, we will travel the universe together!”

“I thought you were sending us back after we finished?” May disputed with her arms crossed.

“Ah... fate is too cruel.” Crim pouted. Recovering immediately, he raised a stop watch in his right hand. “When you each grab a cart, I’ll start the timer.”

May and Bri grabbed a cart and started down the pathway with Crim following behind them. The first building was made of red bricks with a triangular blue roof. A rectangular wooden sign stood front of the building and read “clothing”. As they walked inside, they saw racks and boxes of clothing that filled the entire building and pathways in between to fit the two carts. Unlike the character selection, there were mostly regular looking clothes much like they'd seen in stores near their homes.

“Perfect!” May exclaimed as she looked through the clothing “Adrien will be happy if I can find something from his father’s collection in here.”

“Oh, about that.” Crim started “These clothes here don’t have any brand name or anything of the sort. It’s more about what type of clothes you think they would enjoy wearing or seeing.”

Bri sighed, “That means I won’t find any of the brand that Felix likes either.”

May looked around, still determined to find something that Adrien would like. Bri and Crim also scanned the area for ideas, when Crim spotted something interesting. He went over to a rack on the far end of the building and grabbed a few things before returning to May and Bri. “If it were me, I would want something like this!” Crim said, getting the girls' attention. He took out a hanger with a red swimsuit that had black polka dots on it. Proud of his selection, he held a ladybug mask over his eyes. “It’s pleasing, yet shrouded in mystery! Perfect choice if you ask me.”

Bri and May looked at him disapprovingly. “Rejected!” They yelled in unison. Crim pouted as he turned to return the swimsuit to the rack. On his way back though, Bri stopped to think for a minute. As much as she hated to admit it, that swimsuit might work for Adrien, but how was she going to get May to pick it up? As she looked up from her thoughts, she caught Crim looking at her with a mocking smile on his face. Bri angrily held her hand out and said: “Give me the swimsuit, and the mask.”

Crim chuckled and motioned a bow with his arms. “Your wish is my command.” He said winking as he placed them in Bri’s cart.

May looked over in disbelief. “Are you serious?”

Bri’s face turned beat red as she turned to May and yelled “It’s just in case, OK?! Just. In. Case!”

“You could learn from her.” Crim said as he looked over into May’s cart, which was currently empty.

“I’m still looking!” May protested.

“Me too.” Crim remarked sarcastically as he pulled the stopwatch out of his picket. “I wonder how much longer I should look.” He said, as he gazed at the remaining time, and May frantically returned to her search. After a few more moments of searching and gathering clothes the group exited the building and moved on. 

The next building was large dome shape made from cream-colored bricks. A wooden sign hung from a chain over the door that read “Food”. As they entered the building it smelled of freshly cooked food. There were soups, stews, chicken, seafood, desserts and lots of other delectable choices. The sections were split into “hot”, “room”, “cooled”, and “frozen”. As they glanced at the food, though, they realized that it was probably best to come back after they had finished visiting the other shops, as the fresh food probably wouldn’t stay fresh sitting in their carts.

The next building was sky blue, with a flat rooftop. A wooden sign lay next to the door that read “pets” with a few doodles of animals on it. As they entered the building, May and Bri immediately squealed and ran towards one of the animal cages. “It’s a hamster!” They exclaimed excitedly, watching as the brown animal with white spots held his food in his small paws and nibbled on it. “Look! Another one!” May squeaked as a gray one came out of a hole in a small wooden box.  
Crim watched them stare excitedly at the hamsters for a few minutes before asking “So... are you going to take one?”

“Huh? Oh, right.” Bri responded, remembering the objective.

“Yes!” May exclaimed excitedly, but then looked at the container confused.

Crim walked over, lifted the lid of the enclosure, and quickly grabbed one of the hamsters before it could retreat. He then gently placed it in a smaller container and snapped the lid on before he handed it to May.

“Should I get you one too?” he said as he turned to Bri.

“Hmm… I’m not actually sure if Félix likes animals. If I had to guess I’d say he doesn’t.” Bri responded.

“Then we should probably move on to the next area.” Crim offered. May hummed happily as she gently placed the hamster into her cart. She hadn’t thought about if Adrien liked hamsters, but who doesn’t like hamsters?


	9. The Final Game F (part 2)

When they arrived at a shop that read “Books” Bri exclaimed excitedly “Yess!!! This is what I’ve been waiting for.” She rolled up her sleeves and grabbed an entire stack, heaving them over. Crim easily lifted the books out of Bri’s arms and gently placed them in the cart.

“How many more do you want?” he said nonchalantly as he gazed at the books, then back to Bri.

May stared blankly at the two as they piled books into Bri’s cart. As she watched them, she thought back to when Bri and her had been doing pushups in the previous game. Xil had mentioned that he mostly read books. Books… and the ladybug swimsuit… she thought as realization dawned upon her. Could Félix be chat noir?! Did Bri know? No… she couldn’t, if she did there’s no way she would treat him so coldly right? What would she do if she found out?

“You okay May?” Bri asked out of concern after Crim and her had finished piling the books into the cart. Crim was standing to the side behind Bri with a smirk on his face as he held his index finger to his lips.

“uhh yeah! It’s nothing! I was just amazed at all of the books you collected.” May laughed nervously. She couldn’t help thinking about what Bri’s reaction would be when she figured out Felix was chat noir. What would she think when the guy whose been flirting with her the whole time was the guy she liked? And the guy she liked was the guy who annoyed her to pieces? It would almost be like if chat noir was…

“May! Look out!” Bri yelled as May tripped over a slanted stone and her cart went flying forward. Crim quickly grabbed her arm and stopped the cart with his leg.

“You ok miss?” He said as he helped her up.

“Y-yes! Sorry.” May watched as Crim pulled the cart back to her with a limp in the leg he used to stop it.

“Is this really a game?” Bri shot Crim a serious look. “I doubt any AI would be programmed to help a clumsy girl from falling on the street. Also, considering VR Gaming isn’t here she must be with Xil and Neir right? But who does that make you? If you’re not an akumatized villain, then what exactly are you?”

“Very perceptive of you, but are you sure you want to know the answer?” Crim responded, straightening himself up.

“What do you mean? Of course, I want to know the answer! That’s why I asked!” Bri snapped as she looked at May who wore a worried look on her face. She started to regret her question, but Crim answered anyway “When the person you know as VR Gaming was akumatized, we came to life. As you might call this a virtual reality game, it is our actual reality. Our bodies and personalities are based off characters, but we’ve gained the ability to think for ourselves. We feel pain, happiness, and sorrow as you do.”

May swallowed nervously as she asked “So when you say the world will end, does that mean…”

“That’s right, we’ll all end. I along with all the people in this world, however, when you defeat VR Gaming we will disappear as well. We weren’t meant to be alive in the first place. In fact, I believe we are truly fortunate to have had this opportunity. Despite what you may think of me, I enjoy being able to spend this time with you.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know.” Bri hid herself behind her cart before she heard the ticking of Crim’s timer as he pulled it out of his pocket. “Hmmm… Are you sure we have enough time for this?” he said mockingly as both the girls exclaimed “Ah!” and the three darted towards the next building, but before they got there May yelled “WAIT!”. Bri stopped and Crim almost tumbled over his injured leg. “We have to put these items in the box too right? How much time do we have left?” May panicked and Crim looked at her with eyes wide. “I completely forgot about that.” He admitted, while Bri and May quickly turned their carts around and sprinted back towards the alter.  
“How could you forget?! Aren’t you supposed to be the host?” Bri yelled, almost out of breath.

“I was caught up in the moment!” Crim yelled back while running awkwardly with two arms and one leg.

“Don’t worry we can still make it!” May yelled, running as fast as she could.

When they reached the alter, May and Bri started to arrange their items. Crim looked at the timer “Five minutes.” He mumbled to himself, but May and Bri heard him. They started frantically placing items into the boxes until they heard a loud ringing noise coming from the timer. Bri shakily looked over at the meter, it wasn’t even half full. Even May’s meter barely made it over the halfway mark. The two stood in horror. “There must be something we can do!” Bri yelled in desperation.  
“There is” Crim replied in a serious tone. “If we sacrifice these two, the shock should be enough energy.” 

“Sacrifice?” May looked at him with her eyes tearing up “You don’t mean…”

Crim removed his sword from its sheath and flames spilled out of markings that lined the edges. “I do, but these two are merely clones of the ones you know. I explained what might happen before they volunteered themselves over.”  
He brought up his sword, then quickly slashed downward towards the two unconscious boys, when May and Bri jumped in front of it. The sword stopped an inch before them. “What are you doing!” He shouted. May and Bri were in tears. “You can’t do this!” May yelled. 

“The world will crumble, and everyone will suffer, but you refuse to give up two boys?” Crim shouted, which made Bri flinch, but neither of them moved. Crim glared at Bri “He rejected you multiple times, and you still want him to live?”

“No one deserves to die, not even for the sake of the world. Just because he rejected me doesn’t mean he’s any less of a person. He’s the man I love even if he never loves me in return. It’s better this way. He won’t have to be sad to never see me again.” Bri responded. Crim opened his mouth, but Bri cut him off “You can’t weigh the importance of one life against another, everyone is different. Even if some make mistakes or has twisted views of life or give into temptation. Some even commit the worst crimes, but that doesn’t mean they should die! It means they’re crying out for help when no one can hear them. We’re not perfect, we don’t know what they need, but I know one thing for sure. They don’t need death. Even if it’s to save the millions of people who can’t understand them, who can’t help them. Even if it’s to atone for all the things that they’ve done. No one deserves this! And I won’t just stand by and watch the love of my life be slaughtered in front of my eyes!”

Crim turned angrily towards May who wore a determined look, despite the redness and the tears that continued to stream down her face. “It looks like you’re both in agreement. Very well, I will take you both instead!” Bri and May held hands while Crim lifted his sword once again. They closed their eyes as he swiftly brought it down towards them, but they didn’t feel impact. Instead they felt a small gust of wind blow over them. May slowly opened one of her eyes to see Crim facing backwards, head tilted towards the sky. She looked up to see a purple and blue sky that looked like glass threads woven together. It must be the barrier. Bri had opened her eyes as they stared blankly at it, wondering what just happened.

“Unfortunately,” Crim began with a sigh “I won’t be taking any lives today. It looks like your determination created enough energy to channel the barrier. The world will be saved.”

May stomped up to him angrily, about to give him a lecture, when she saw the look on his face. He was smiling gently at the barrier. As if the heaviest weight has just been lifted off his shoulders. “You were acting this whole time weren’t you.” She said instead. 

Crim couldn’t keep the giant smirk from filling his face “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He said whimsically.

Bri shouted “You mean you had us played this whole time?! Uuuuuugh” Bri rolled her eyes.

“Well” Crim continued “I knew you wouldn’t be able to collect the items. It’s obvious how blindly in love you two are. It was the only other option, but enough talk.” Crim snapped his fingers and a giant door appeared. “You’ve successfully completed both games presented to you, so it’s nearly time for you to return to reality. Good luck with your love life!” Crim laughed as he limped away, and the door opened in front of them, his sword re-appearing as he swung it back into its sheath.  
May stuck her tongue out at him while she walked through the door, but Bri stopped before entering it allowing the door to close in front of her. She looked at the ground with a sad smile on her face. “I’m like you, aren’t I?”  
Crim paused before turning around to face her.

“Xil and I… I mean… Félix and I…” She continued “We’re part of these games aren’t we. We’re characters that came to life.”

Crim sighed “That’s right.”

Bri flinched at his admission, even though she had a feeling something was off when they started these games. Crim even confirmed it for her when he answered the questions about himself. She had no memories of her childhood, only those of recent events. It still hurt, knowing she wasn’t real, that when everything was returned to normal, she would go back to being a mindless character. She was about to break down in tears when she heard Crim’s voice again, this time, with something she didn’t expect.

“Do you want to see him?”

Without thinking she responded “I can see him? You can do that?”

Crim laughed as he pulled his sword from its sheath and slashed at the air, cutting it. “Who do you think I am? I’m the host, I can do anything.”

Bri cast him a skeptical look “Oh yeah? Then why didn’t you fix your leg?”

“Life isn’t real if you don’t live it.” Crim winked at Bri while gesturing at the portal he created. “Ladies first.”

Bri couldn’t hold back her smile as she walked through the portal “Thank you.”

“The pleasure is mine.” Crim closed the portal without walking through it himself.


End file.
